Rockwall ISD trustees outline single-tax proposal to boost pay; adopt phone ban policy and student code of conduct

Rockwall ISD trustees on Tuesday discussed a single-item voter authorization aimed at boosting teacher and staff pay while addressing special education and school safety shortfalls, and they approved a student personal-communication-device policy and the district's 2025'26 student code of conduct.

The board heard a detailed presentation from district staff about the district's budget, the effects of House Bill 2 on teacher pay, and a proposed single ballot proposition that would raise about $16.5 million if voters approve it. "We are very appreciative to the legislature for investing $8,500,000,000 into public education," the staff presenter said while summarizing the state legislation and its limits. The district's proposal would appear on the ballot as a 12-cent maintenance-and-operations (M&O) tax-rate increase but, after recently completed debt refinancing that reduces the interest-and-sinking (I&S) rate, the district projects a net increase to taxpayers of about 4 cents. The district estimated the net cost at roughly $160 annually for a $500,000 home if voters approve the proposal.

Why it matters: Trustees and staff said the district continues to lag peer districts on pay, in part because House Bill 2 targeted smaller districts and excluded many positions from the state's teacher-pay…